CLUB NEWS

2003 ANNUAL WANDERTAG WITH THE SAN DIEGO SCHUTZHUND CLUB 

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On a crisp and sunny April morning, fourteen hearty members of the San Diego Schutzhund Club met at Felicita Park in Escondido, California, for the club’s twelfth annual Wandertag and Dog Walk.

 

This year’s event included 16 dogs:  Margaret Edwards with Sigfried, John McKinney with Dex, Sidney and Quinnie, Bernadette Engerran with Sequoia, Cheris Anthony with Brisa, Richard and Becky Brown with Alpha,

Danny and Fab Elias with Ava and Aslan, Danlee and Anita Mitchell with Richter and Thea, Elaine Wilson with Aero and Kali, Janet Sullivan with Princess, Malcomb and Michelle McLeod with Hasso and Dessa.  Those without dogs to walk enjoyed the natural beauties of Felicita Park with its old growth oak trees and running streams and took advantage of the many photo opportunities for the club scrapbook.

 

Shortly before the start of the walk, the local State Park Ranger stopped by to greet the group and to request permission to take her own photos of all the dogs for the park newsletter.  We happily posed with our well-behaved dogs and provided her with information on our club and the sport of Schutzhund.  After the impromptu photo-op, we in behind John with his brace of dogs and started up the first hill.  The trail took us past beautiful wild flowers in spring bloom, stately oaks and various park picnic areas. As the dogs settled down to enjoy each others comradeship and the smells of nature and all it’s beauty, they could not help but draw the attention of the park visitors.  Some of the folks who came up to see the dogs remembered us from prior park visits, others wanted to know about our organization and our dogs.  Although we are always grateful for the opportunity to talk about Schutzhund and the German Shepherd Dog, it was with some relief that the walk soon took us to an isolated section of the park grounds with its bolder-laden creek and overhanging shade trees. 

 

The creek was full from the recent spring rains, and several of the dogs happily romped over the rocky creek bed to partake of a cool drink or to play in the pools of sparkling clear water.  For many of the dogs, it was their first experience with a running stream and they quickly learned that rocks and unexpectedly deep pools offered many wet surprises!

 

When we finally returned to our picnic area, the dogs flopped down in the shade of the trees and the club members brought forth the potluck.  Richard Brown, a new member, surprised the club with homemade beer - brewed in the Bavarian style - which was pronounced delicious.  Janet Sullivan, our most talented baker by trade, provided a cake for John’s 39^th (and holding) birthday in the shape of a dog bowl, complete with Reese’s Peanut butter “kibble” and nylabones.  There was a bit of disappointment on the part of one of John’s dogs that he was not allowed the “bowl of kibble”, much to the relief of hungry club members!

 

All in all, it was a great day to mingle with the general public, putting forth a positive picture of our well-behaved, schutzhund trained German Shepherds.  It was better still to have the good company of our four legged friends, beautiful surroundings and to enjoy the comradeship of the club.

 

All are looking forward to next years Wandertag!